Week 6 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds, Spread Advice and Predictions

There is upset potential throughout the weekend with many of the NFL's top teams facing tough matchups in Week 6.

Of the six undefeated teams remaining, five of them go on the road, with the Green Bay Packers still having a tough matchup at home against the San Diego Chargers. Meanwhile, a number of other favorites could have a hard time escaping this week with a victory.

In what could be a crazy week of football, here is a look at picks against the spread with a breakdown of a few upsets to look out for on Sunday.

Away	Predicted Score	Home	ATS Pick
Atlanta Falcons	24-17	New Orleans Saints	ATL -3.5
Denver Broncos	13-16	Cleveland Browns	CLE +4.5
Miami Dolphins	21-27	Tennessee Titans	TEN -2.5
Washington Redskins	6-17	New York Jets	NYJ -6
Kansas City Chiefs	16-24	Minnesota Vikings	MIN -4
Cincinnati Bengals	17-20	Buffalo Bills	BUF +3.5
Chicago Bears	27-24	Detroit Lions	CHI +3
Houston Texans	31-27	Jacksonville Jaguars	HOU PK
Arizona Cardinals	34-21	Pittsburgh Steelers	ARI -3
Carolina Panthers	9-10	Seattle Seahawks	CAR +7
San Diego Chargers	20-28	Green Bay Packers	SD +10.5
Baltimore Ravens	21-24	San Francsico 49ers	SF +2.5
New England Patriots	38-20	Indianapolis Colts	NE -7.5
New York Giants	24-30	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI -4

Note: All spread info courtesy of Odds Shark. 

Upset Alert

Cleveland Browns (+4.5) vs. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have started 5-0, but unlike in the past few years, it isn't thanks to offensive prowess. The team is currently averaging 22.6 points per game, although even that is misleading because of the defense's ability to score touchdowns.  

There have been two wins this year when the offense failed to score even a single touchdown.

It has gotten so bad reporters are asking about benching a future Hall of Fame quarterback, per Lindsay Jones of USA Today:

Head coach Gary Kubiak is right to let Peyton Manning play through this current slump, but he has serious questions to answer about his arm strength as well as his decision-making. Seven interceptions with only six touchdown passes is very unlike Manning.

On the other hand, the Cleveland Browns are coming in with a red-hot offense, causing Ross Tucker of NBC Sports to type a sentence no one would have predicted before the season began:

Josh McCown is coming off a 457-yard passing day, and the strong play should allow him to have at least reasonable success against the Broncos defense, especially with DeMarcus Ware not expected to play. 

Most teams have been able to beat Cleveland with the run game, but with an offense that has only averaged 3.3 yards per carry this year, Denver could once again struggle to move the ball. This could lead to a massive upset by the Browns in a low-scoring battle.

San Francisco 49ers (2.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

As mentioned above, McCown is coming off a big game. This was due to some great passing, but the Baltimore Ravens also were majorly responsible. The defense has been nothing short of awful this season while dealing with various injuries and can no longer be trusted to carry the team to victory.

This is good news for a San Francisco 49ers team that has lost four in a row but came around offensively in Week 5. Running back Carlos Hyde was one of many who discussed the improvements in the loss to the New York Giants:

Colin Kaepernick had a season-high passer rating of 107.1 while spreading the ball around and avoiding mistakes. If he can stay in control against the Ravens' struggling secondary, he could have another strong performance.

The difference this time is his defense should do a better job of picking up the slack. Unlike against the Giants, the Ravens don't have legitimate weapons at receiver who can get open at will. With Steve Smith Sr. dealing with a back injury, quarterback Joe Flacco will be limited with his options throwing the ball.

Considering the 49ers also have allowed only 20 total points in two home games against the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, the Ravens could be in danger of dropping yet another winnable game this season.

Carolina Panthers (+7) at Seattle Seahawks

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

This one is a bit backward considering the Carolina Panthers are the undefeated team. While the Seattle Seahawks have been dominant at home over the years, the Panthers should still be able to at least cover this huge spread.

Seattle has obvious talent, but at 2-3, there are major question marks on both sides of the ball. The biggest issue is the offensive inconsistency that has limited the team in the first five weeks. This has been true even when the unit has played well, as was the case on Sunday when a poor fourth quarter allowed the Cincinnati Bengals to overcome a 24-7 deficit to come away with the 27-24 victory.

Rich Eisen of NFL Network noted the offense contributed to the loss:

It will help to get Marshawn Lynch back on the field, although Thomas Rawls had played well in his absence. At the same time, the Panthers will get Luke Kuechly back from a concussion, so this is basically a wash.

With the way Josh Norman and the rest of the defense have performed, the Seahawks will have a hard time scoring in this one.

Things won't be easy for Cam Newton and Carolina's offense, either, but with an extra week to plan an attack, the Panthers should be able to scheme some big plays. This could be enough to at least cover the spread and at most earn a signature victory on the road.   

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.